Ada Colau, Europe's 5th most influential person
Ada Colau will be the 5th most influential personality in Europe in 2017, according to Politico. This most prestigious Washington newspaper, popular also among Eurocrats in Brussels yesterday included Barcelona's mayoress in its ranking of the 28 figures who are “shaping, making and shaking Europe.” Colau is the only representative of Spain included, and she figures alongside her London counterpart Sadiq Khan, controversial president of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, the founder of Spotify, Daniel Ek, the leader of the German populists Frauke Petry, and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Politico praises Colau to the extent of predicting that eventually she will lead the government. She is defined as the “vote for change”, with influence that “can only grow” in the coming years, “popular, honest and independent” and “not one to bite her tongue.” With one exception, however: independence. Politico criticises her “ambiguous position” on the Catalan question and warned that she will eventually need to declare her position more clearly. According to Politico, “the ideal solution” for Colau would be to “establish a Catalan republic within a federal Spain.” The newspaper also highlight's Colau's work in the fight against the banks and evictions before becoming mayoress of the city.